


One Shot of Espresso

by littlefenrir



Category: Assassin's Creed
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Assassin's Creed-AU, M/M, Male Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-19
Updated: 2014-11-10
Packaged: 2017-11-21 12:42:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/597880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlefenrir/pseuds/littlefenrir
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Altaïr is infatuated with the local barista Malik. Being pressured by his friend, Ezio, he decides to ask Malik out and try to start a relationship from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Finally the bell rang and Altaïr jumped out of his back seat, grabbed his bag and ran out the door towards the quad. He looked at his watch. 2:05 it read.  
Come the fuck on Ezio. I don't have time for this.  
He sat down on the edge of the fountain in the middle of the enormous lawn. He tapped his foot, looked from left to right, waiting for his friend to get out of class and meet him.  
"Hey Altaïr."  
He turned to face the voice and saw Ezio in his normal gear. Dark wash skinny jeans, neon green chucks and a worn out looking t-shirt of some obscure and most likely split up band.  
"Dude, what took so long?"  
"Chill the fuck out man. I know you need to see your eye candy but I'm sure he's still going to be there."  
"Shut up ass. Come on let's go. I need a coffee badly. That last class nearly sent me to my grave early."  
Ezio chuckled and offered his hand to Altaïr. Altaïr grabbed it and snatched his bag from the ground and headed towards their favorite local coffee shop.

Twenty minutes later they were seated. Altaïr facing the counters and registers, sipping his coffee. Ezio was saying something by Altaïr wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at the beautiful man taking orders from the long line of customers.  
"Oi! Earth to Altaïr come back to me" Ezio said, waving his hand in front of Altaïr’s face.  
"Huh?" Altaïr answered intelligently, his eyes focusing back on his friends face.  
"Spacing out?"  
"Oh...yeah. Sorry about that."  
"Dude, why don't you ask him out for coffee or something?"  
Altaïr looked at him incredulously.  
"Think about where he works. I doubt he wants to go out for coffee."  
"Well then ask him out for a drink or something. Do something instead of staring at him 4 days out of the week."  
Altaïr sighed, "I wish I could but look at him! He’s just so perfect. He's got amazing hair, those beautiful dark brown eyes. Everything about him is amazing and perfect. Even his stubble! He hasn't shaved in a few days and it looks so manicured. Unlike other guys whose beards look all scraggly...what are you smiling about?"  
Ezio was smiling devilishly at Altaïr.  
"You are infatuated with this guy. Dude...I've never seen you like this."  
Altaïr just looked at his friend, sighed and put his head in his hands, eyes facing the table  
"I know. What the fuck am I going to do?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altaïr is infatuated with the local barista Malik. Being pressured by his friend, Ezio, he decides to ask Malik out and try to start a relationship from there.

“Hey Malik! That guy is back” Desmond said in a sing-songy voice.  
“I know, Desmond,” Malik replied, handing change to the customer in front of him. He turned to face him.  
“So what if he’s back? He just likes coffee.”  
“Yeah ok. And that’s why he only comes when you’re working, sits so he faces the register and can’t stop staring at you.”  
“He’s staring at me?” he asked, turning to face the elusive customer, catching his eye before turning pink and looking back at Desmond. He started laughing.  
“So you still think he just likes coffee?”  
Malik glared at Desmond and turned to face the register, sensing a customer.  
“Hi, may I-“ he stopped when he noticed that the customer was the friend of Mr. Mysterious. Yes, a stupid nickname but one Desmond liked to always say.  
“Oh uh-is something wrong with the coffee?”  
The guy just smiled, “No, nothing’s wrong with the coffee-“ he looked at his nametag, “Malik”.  
“Ummm...alright then-“  
“Listen, I know you’ve noticed that my friend and I are always in here.”  
“Well, that’s fine. We have a lot of regulars.”  
“Yeeeahh…listen. My friend is infatuated with you, but he won’t make a move. Right now he’s in the bathroom freaking out because you caught him staring.”  
Malik blushed, not knowing what to say.  
“O-oh, well I-I-“  
“So I was thinking that you two should go out for a drink of something. That’s if you like him too.”  
Malik just stood there looking shocked.  
“Ummm...s-sure. I don’t see why not.  
The guy smiled brightly, “Great! I’m going to try to pressure him into asking you out. Let him think he’s in charge. I don’t want him to know that I talked to you.”  
“Yeah, sure.”  
“Oh! Name’s Ezio by the way.”  
“Oh. OK, Ezio.”  
Malik watched as the guy-correction-Ezio walked back to his table and sat down, waiting for Mr. Mysterious to come from the bathroom.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ezio was watching the bathroom door, waiting for Altaïr to finally get himself together. When Altaïr walked out of the restroom, Ezio had a huge smile on his face.  
“What are you smiling about?”  
“Oh nothing. Just about something I overheard.”  
Altaïr was skeptical. “What?”  
“Weelll…I heard your crush talking to that super hot guy he works with.” He stopped.  
“And?!”  
“ANNNDDD they were talking about you.” He stopped again.  
“AND?!?!” He was ready to jump out of his skin.  
“And he likes you. A lot. But he just doesn’t know how to tell you.”  
Silence.  
“Are you serious?”  
“Yep.”  
Just then a huge grin broke across Altaïr’s face.  
“Holy shit! You’re serious? Holy shit! HOLY SHIT!”  
Ezio was laughing at Altaïr’s reaction.  
“Sooo, what are you going to do?”  
“I don’t know.” Ezio’s smile dropped and there was a short pause.  
“You don’t know? Dude! He fucking likes you and you’re obsessed with him and you don’t know what to do?!?! Just ask him out! Now! You dumb ass!”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

“They seem to be fighting over something,” Desmond said with a confused look.  
“Yeah, I realize that. But why? You think he doesn’t actually like me?” Malik asked with a worried look.  
“Doubt it. Oh! He’s heading here! I’ll be in the back. Good luck!”

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Alright, I got one shot. I can’t mess this up.  
He approached the counter slowly, his heart pounding like he just ran a race. Altaïr paused when the guy turned to look at him.  
“He-“ Altaïr paused to clear his throat. “Hey, what’s up…” He looked at his nametag, “Malik?”  
“Ummm…hey. Nothing.”  
There was an awkward pause. Altaïr ran a hand through his hair. This wasn’t going well at all.  
“Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink or something after your shift.”  
“Yeah, sure. That sounds great.”  
Identical grins broke across their faces.  
“Great! So I’ll see you at…?”  
“I get off at 9.”  
“Alright. 9.”  
Altaïr nodded his head and then turned to walk back to his table. He caught Ezio’s eye and did a small fist pump with a huge grin on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations are at the bottom. There’s not a lot, but I figured it would be easier then having to look them up yourself. :)

Altaïr and Ezio decided to head back to the dorms after they finished their coffee. Altaïr wanted to stay and stare at Malik some more, but Ezio convinced him that 1) that would be creepy and might scare Malik away and 2) Altaïr still had to finish homework and study for next week's classes. Altaïr was practically skipping and dancing all the way back to the dorms, not really watching where he was going. Most of the other people on the sidewalk had to dodge out of the way unless they wanted to accidently get smacked by an overexcited Altaïr.  
“Hey Altaïr?” Ezio said with a grin on his face.  
“Hmmm?”  
“You might want to watch where you’re going. Last thing you need is to accidently assault someone before your date tonight.”  
Altaïr stopped and glared at Ezio while he scanned into the dorms. Ezio just chuckled and held the door open for Altaïr to grab. Altaïr and Ezio showed their IDs to the kid working the desk in the doorway before they scanned through the other door and headed to the 4th floor where they lived in Munroe Hall. Before they reached their shared room they heard someone shout their names down the hall. When they turned around they saw Ezio’s older brother Federico and his best friend Yusuf running after them. Ezio sighed and slumped his shoulders.  
“Ah fuck, what do these two want now?” Ezio muttered. When they caught up to Ezio and Altaïr Federico threw his one of his arms around Ezio shoulders and started walking with them to Ezio and Altaïr’s room.  
“Sooo, children? How was school today?” Federico asked with a grin.  
“Federico, stop being an idiot,” Ezio huffed.  
Federico clasped his hands in front of his heart and gasped.  
“Mio fratello*. You wound me! How ever will I go on knowing my own brother thinks so little of me?”  
Yusuf and Altaïr chuckled while Ezio just pushed Federico lightly into the wall.  
“Tu sei un fottuto idiota*,” Ezio replied.  
They made it to Ezio and Altaïr’s room finally where Altaïr unlocked the door. He threw his bag near the closet, crossed the room and collapsed face first on his bed. Yusuf sprawled out on the chair closest to the door, Federico sat down on Ezio’s bed across from Altaïr, and Ezio set his bag down near his bed and sat in his desk chair.  
“Is Altaïr alright or does he need medical attention?” Yusuf asked with a slight frown.  
Altaïr mumbled something.  
“What did he say?”  
Ezio sighed, “He asked, ‘Is it 9pm already? I want to see my soulmate so I can make sweet, sweet love to him.’”  
Altaïr rolled over and sat up. “That is not what I said asshole!”  
The rest of them laughed.  
“But tell me that that wasn’t what you were thinking, mio amico*?” Ezio asked.  
Altaïr huffed and threw himself down on his back, his legs dangling over the side of his bed.  
Federico laughed again, “Awww, does Altaïr finally have a lover? It looks like our little boy is finally growing into a man! Come, this calls for a celebration.”  
Altaïr threw his pillow and hit Federico square in the face. “Shut your mouth, Auditore. Shouldn’t you be busy molesting some poor unsuspecting soul?”  
Yusuf threw his head back and laughed loudly at that. “I’m afraid it seems like Federico’s manwhoring days are over. All day he’s been talking about this wonderful, beautiful, amazing guy he met yesterday while he was working.”  
Ezio raised one eyebrow and turned his chair to look at Federico. “Oh reeeallllyyy. Well brother of mine, who is this ‘amazing guy’ who seems to have stolen your heart?”  
“A gentlemen does not divulge such secrets before their time,” Federico replied while glaring playfully at Yusuf.  
Altaïr snorted and sat up once more. He pulled his legs up and sat crisscrossed on his bed, elbows on his knees and resting his head in his hands. “I didn’t know you could call yourself a gentleman. Has the definition of the word changed recently?”  
The other two laughed while Federico flipped Altaïr off. “Fuck you stronzo*. I am so a gentleman.”  
“Whatever you say. Hey, Yusuf throw me my bag. I need to finish my stupid paper.”  
Yusuf grabbed Altaïr’s bag and tossed it over to him. “So Altaïr, who is your lover then? Ezio mentioned him earlier, but you never told us about him.”  
“How do you know it’s a he?” Altaïr asked as he blushed slightly.  
“Because, I haven’t seen you date a woman ever and more often than not you stare at other guy’s asses,” Yusuf replied with a smirk. “Besides, look who you hang out with. The only straight person I ever see you with is Rebecca and sometimes I doubt her sexuality. Everyone else you know is as gay as the day is long.”  
Altaïr sighed, “Shut up Yusuf. Shouldn’t you be making out with your boyfriend or something?”  
“Ha! Yes, I should be, but he’s in class,” Yusuf said with a wide grin.  
“Well go wait for him in his room then. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Altaïr replied while pulling one of his history textbooks, a notepad and pen out of his bag.  
“Come on, Altaïr. You might as well tell them or they’ll never leave,” Ezio said.  
Altaïr huffed, “Fine. I asked that guy out at the coffee shop we always go to and he said yes, so now we’re going out tonight. There’s your information, now go.”  
Federico practically squealed which made the other two jump. He pounced on Altaïr’s bed, grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him slightly while shooting off questions.  
“What did you say?What did he say?Did you get his name?Where does he live?What are you two doing tonight?Should I get you condoms?You can use my room if you want!?Or you ca-”  
“Federico! Shut the fuck up and get off me,” Altaïr yelled.  
Federico let go and sat back a little. He put his hands in his lap and looked expectantly at Altaïr. He was about to say something else, but luckily for them all he was stopped by another voice in the doorway.  
“What’s going on? Why does Federico look like he’s going to explode?” the voice asked.  
When they all looked over they saw it was Rauf, Yusuf’s boyfriend, who was leaning against the doorway, arms crossed and grinning goofily at them.  
“Rauf!” Yusuf yelled. He grabbed Rauf’s arm and pulled him in his lap while Rauf dropped his bag on the floor. Yusuf wrapped one arm around Rauf’s waist and the other around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. Rauf closed his eyes and grabbed the front of Yusuf’s shirt, trying to keep his balance and not topple over onto the floor.  
“Hey! No making out in this room!” Altaïr yelled while he threw his now empty backpack at them.  
It hit Rauf in the back and they pulled away. Rauf looked at the room again, blushed and smiled sheepishly.  
“Sorry about that. I didn’t think Yusuf was going to be so public about it,” Rauf said.  
Rauf tried to stand up but Yusuf held him down and circled his arms around Rauf’s waist. He nuzzled his face between Rauf’s shoulder blades.  
“You don’t have to apologize tatlım*. He’s just jealous that he doesn’t have someone to make out with.”  
Altaïr scoffed and went back to reading his textbook. Ezio chuckled at them all and started pulling out his biology book and laptop and setting them on the desk. Federico was still kneeling next to Altaïr on his bed, waiting for him to answer.  
Rauf rolled his eyes, smiled and asked, “So why does Federico look like a dog begging for scraps?”  
Altaïr was about to answer when Federico started talking instead. “Altaïr has a lover finally and I’m just trying to be a good friend and discuss it with him.”  
“More like looking for dirt,” Altaïr muttered while writing something in his notepad.  
Federico folded his arms across his chest and pouted a little. “I’m just trying to be of help Altaïr. No need to be mean to me.”  
Altaïr sighed and looked back up at Federico. “I’m sorry Federico, but I’m just freaking out a little bit. Besides I don’t want to get my hopes up and then this date go horribly wrong and then he never wants to talk to me again and I’ll have ruined everything and I’ll never be able to go to the coffee shop again because he would see me and it would be all awkward an-“  
Federico put one hand over Altaïr’s mouth. “Breathe Altaïr, before you pass out.”  
He moved his hand off his mouth and shifted so that he was facing the same way as Altaïr instead of staring at him. “Now just relax. You’ll do fine. I can help you pick out your outfit so you’ll look nice.”  
Altaïr frowned a little and looked back to Federico. “Why can’t I pick out my own outfit?”  
“Because you’ll just choose another hoodie and jeans. And this is a first date. You can’t look like a bum.”  
Altaïr looked at Federico incredulously, “Federico. He’ll just be getting off of work. If I dress all nice and he looks messy from work that will make him feel bad. At least I think it would. I would feel bad if that was me at least. Although I don’t know if he would look all that bad honestly. Probably just look a little tired and maybe sweaty…”  
Federico laughed, “You pervert! I knew you had it in you.”  
Altaïr blushed a little and looked back around the room. He saw Yusuf and Rauf whispering rapidly to each other and Ezio sitting quietly at his desk, reading his textbook.  
“What are you guys talking about?” he asked Yusuf and Rauf.  
“Yusuf is trying to convince Rauf to not do homework and instead go back to his room and have sex,” Ezio answered for them without looking up from his book.  
Rauf blushed again while Yusuf and Federico practically guffawed at Ezio. Altaïr rolled his eyes.  
“Alright, everyone who doesn’t live here get the fuck out. I need to get this homework done and being witness to the idiot comedy hour isn’t helping,” Altaïr said.  
Rauf finally wriggled out of Yusuf’s arms and helped him out of the chair. Yusuf grabbed Rauf’s backpack for him and wrapped one of his arms around Rauf’s back. Federico got off of Altaïr’s bed and headed towards the door.  
“Hey Federico,” Yusuf started while walking out the door.  
“Yeah?”  
“Go to Volpe’s room. Rauf and I are going to go study in our room.”  
The last thing Ezio and Altaïr heard before closing their door was Federico saying, “Hey! Not fair!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there you go: new characters, development of original characters, and some gay lovin’ between Rauf and Yusuf. All in a day’s work. (They are actually one of my all time favorite pairings along with La Volpe/Machiavelli. Judge all you want.)  
> Leave me some gay (or straight or whatever else) lovin’ in the form of reviews, if you’re so inclined.
> 
> Translations:  
> (Italian)--Mio fratello-My brother  
> (Ital.)--Tu sei un fottuto idiota-You’re a fucking idiot.  
> (Ital.)--mio amico-my friend  
> (Ital.)--stronzo-asshole  
> (Turkish)--tatlım-sweetheart (supposed to be used for girls, but Yusuf thinks it’s cute and Rauf doesn’t know better)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been so long folks. I was away studying abroad so I haven’t had a chance to update my stories. However, I am back now so I will be updating more frequently. Yay!

Malik was wiping down the counters, helping clean up the last of the mess made during the day. He kept glancing at his watch, trying to keep track of the time. His wristwatch read 8:56 pm. There were only 4 more minutes to go before the shop was officially closed, but he couldn’t help but feel more and more nervous. For a minute Malik was just standing there, towel still in his hand just resting on the counter, while he worried his bottom lip and thinking about meeting Altair soon.  
“Malik!”  
Malik jumped and turned around, immediately glaring at Desmond.  
“What the fuck, Dez?” he questioned angrily.  
Desmond just stood there, arms crossed and smirked at him.  
“What were you thinking about so hard man? You have been standing there forever, not answering when I called your name.”  
Malik just sighed and looked down, “I’m fine. Just a little nervous about tonight. Altair is supposed to be here after work and we’re going out somewhere.”  
Desmond practically squealed and jumped up and down. He hopped over to Malik and hugged him tightly.  
“Oh my god! You’re so damn adorable when you’re nervous!”  
Malik squirmed out of Desmond’s arms and smacked him lightly on the head.  
“Shut it, idiot. Before I start regretting ever telling you anything.”  
Desmond pouted a little at Malik and rubbed his head.  
“There’s no need to hit me just because you’re so nervous. I’m sure you’ll be fine anyways. He seems to really like you.”  
Malik sighed and leaned back on the counter, resting his elbows on each side. He threw his head back and groaned a little.  
“Ugh, you don’t know that. He just likes me now, but what if I mess it up because I’m an asshole. He could be a complete jackass or pervert.”  
Desmond sighed and crossed his arms once more.  
“Well you won’t know until you go out with him. Just give him a chance and…don’t act as rude as you normally do.”  
Malik glared at him and Desmond just threw his hands in the air in defense.   
“I’m just saying. Sometimes you come across a little strong and then make everyone feel like an idiot.”  
Malik huffed, “That’s because they usually are idiots.”  
Desmond just chuckled a little and turned around, heading towards the backroom.   
“Whatever you say, man. Now get your ass out of here. It’s 5 past.”  
Malik jumped and looked at his watch.   
“Fuck! I look like shit and-“  
Just then they heard a knock on the door. They turned and saw Altair standing there, waving at them.  
“Fuck! Shit! I’m not ready!” Malik yelled before he ran into the backroom, pushing Desmond aside to get there.   
Desmond just shook his head and went to unlock the door. He let Altair in and sled him to the counter.  
“Hey there. Sorry about Malik. He’s just a little nervous and isn’t ready yet.”  
Altair nodded his head, “Ah. Well we’re not going anywhere too fancy and I’m sure he would look great no matter what.”  
At that Desmond smirked and Altair started to blush a little.   
“I mean-Uh-What I meant to say-“  
Desmond just nodded and continued smirking, “I’ll go get Malik for you.”

 

After much teasing by Desmond and blushing by both Malik and Altair, they finally left the coffee shop. Desmond was able to get one more quip out about being sore the next day before Malik gave him the middle finger and promptly slammed the door shut. Altair and Malik were walking to wherever Altair had chosen for their first date and the silence that had came over them since they left the shop was steadily getting awkward.  
Altair cleared his throat, “Uh, how was work?”  
Malik looked at him wide-eyed before looking down once more. “Um, it was good. Tiring and we only had to deal with one really frustrating customer, but not too bad.”  
“Oh. Well that’s good.”  
And with that silence descended once more. After a minute, Malik was getting fidgety. He wanted to say something but he wasn’t sure what to say. Desmond’s warning kept playing through his mind and he was trying to make sure he didn’t accidently insult Altair. Eventually he got tired of the silence and just started talking.  
“So where are we going anyways? I feel like we’ve been walking forever. Not that that’s a bad thing. I enjoy walking. I just want to know. Not that I don’t trust your choice. I jus-I’m going to stop talking now.”  
Altair looked over at Malik a little shocked before he started laughing. He rubbed the back of his head with his right hand.  
“No, please. Don’t worry. I guess I should have let you know beforehand where we’re going. There’s this really awesome bakery nearby that sells drinks late at night and has different events going on sometimes. Tonight is their Open Mic so it will either be great or terrible depending on the acts.”  
Malik smiled and nodded his head, “Well, it will be interesting no matter what I’m sure.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Altaïr and Malik's first date!

By the time they got to the bakery, the Open Mic was in full swing. Altaïr led Malik to the larger room in the back where the stage was and grabbed a small open table near the doorway. He held out a chair for Malik. Malik blushed a little and sat down, mumbling his thanks.  
“So uh…I can get the drinks and everything. They serve alcohol afterhours for these types of events. Is there anything you want in particular?” Altaïr asked nervously.  
Malik frowned a little in thought.  
“I’m ok with beer. Whatever’s on draft really I’m pretty cool with.”  
Altaïr nodded and then moved to the front of the place to order their drinks. Malik was left sitting at the table listening to some guy do a cover of a song from The Black Keys. He was debating on leaving his jacket at the table and going to help Altaïr with the drinks when someone sat down at the table to his left.  
“Was there a long line at the bar?” he asked.  
“I wouldn’t know. I didn’t come from the bar,” an unfamiliar voice said.  
When Malik looked over in shock, he saw a young, extremely pretty woman sitting at the table. She had long brown hair, clear fair skin, and striking blue eyes. She was gorgeous and Malik was confused as to why she was talking to him.  
He looked at her quizzically, “Do I know you?”  
She smirked, “No, you don’t. But I know you.”  
Before Malik could ask what she meant, Altaïr came back from the bar with a tray filled with their drinks and treats.  
“Maria,” Altaïr all but growled, “What are you doing here?”  
Maria stood up and laughed, “Oh Altaïr. Still as angry as ever. I was just saying hello to your friend over here.”  
Altaïr set the tray on the table and then crossed his arms, smirking evilly at Maria.  
“Actually, we’re on a date. So if you don’t mind, you can leave now.”  
The whole time this exchange was going on Malik just sat at the table looking more lost. He was starting to get annoyed with this Maria girl because he could tell there was some sort of history between her and Altaïr. Before he could say something to her she just laughed at Altaïr, wished Malik good luck and walked away, disappearing into the crowd from whence she came. Altaïr sat down at the table with his hands in his lap, not saying a word. Once more Malik was about to say something after the awkward silence, but Altaïr spoke up.  
“I’m uh…I’m sorry about that. I didn’t think she was going to be here,” he said.  
Malik nodded, “It’s no problem. I have no idea who she was really, but um, you obviously have some bad history with her.”  
Altaïr chuckled, “You could definitely say that…I hope this didn’t ruin the night.”  
He looked up hopefully at Malik. Malik just smiled back at him.  
“No worries. We still have time to make up for it and these beers and delicious looking cupcakes might just do the trick.”  
Altaïr slowly smiled back at him and started moving all the treats off the tray.  
“I got us both 312’s. I wasn’t sure what you liked and I know that I enjoy it.”  
Malik smiled, “That’s great. I love it.”

After the rather tense run-in with Maria, the rest of the Open Mic went by pretty uneventfully for Malik and Altaïr. They stayed until the last act, leaving around 11:45pm. Thankfully everyone that performed that night was pretty talented so there weren’t any awkward moments for the audience to endure. After chatting between acts, and sometimes during them, they found out that they had a lot more in common than they originally realized.  
Both were interested in history and were studying it for their majors. However, Malik was concentrating in Islamic World Studies and Altaïr was concentrating in American Studies, so they had never taken a class together. They also liked some of the same music (indie, hip hop and some Top 40 for good measure) and liked similar movies. Surprisingly, they also lived close to one another on campus and were currently walking back to their dorms. And since Malik’s place was on the way to Altaïr’s, Altaïr of course offered to walk him there.  
“I still think Retrograde is the best album to come out this year. I don’t care what you say,” Malik said.  
Altaïr just laughed and shook his head.  
“I agree it’s a great album. I just don’t think I would go so far as to it’s the best of the year. But I accept your opinion…even if it’s wrong”  
Malik laughed and pushed Altaïr away from him, “Jerk.”  
They walked a block more, Altaïr with his hands in his pockets and Malik with his arms crossed, until they reached the door to Malik’s building. They stopped and Malik turned to look up at Altaïr, who was just a few inches taller than him.  
“So that was really fun. I had heard about the Open Mic there, but never had a reason to go.”  
Altaïr shrugged, “I’m not really a big club person and I’m kinda selectively about the bars I go to so that place has been my favorite.”  
“Alright. Cool,” said Malik, nodding.  
They stood there awkwardly for a few seconds, which seemed to drag on forever. Altaïr wasn’t sure if he should make a move, as much as he wanted to, because he didn’t want to ruin the good night they had. Malik looked at him a bit expectantly before he decided the hell with it.  
Malik moved into Altaïr’s personal space, leaned up and kissed him. At first Altaïr just stood there frozen until his senses came back to him. One hand cupped the back of Malik’s head and the other wrapped itself around his waist, pulling Malik closer to him. Feeling off balance, Malik grabbed onto Altaïr’s biceps. He thought about pulling away until he felt Altaïr lick at the seam of his lips. He opened his mouth and let Altaïr deepen the kiss until he had to pull back to breathe. They looked at one another and just smiled.  
Malik, still holding onto Altaïr’s arms, chuckled, “Well, that was one hell of a goodnight kiss.”  
Altaïr laughed and then leaned back in and gave Malik a quick peck on the lips.  
“Yeah, I guess it was.”  
They separated and straightened their clothes out a bit. Altaïr cleared his throat.  
“So this might be going too fast, but since tomorrow’s Saturday, would you like to do something again? I mean, I know you might already have plans or maybe you’re working or-“  
Malik put his hand over Altaïr’s mouth and chuckled.  
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand how someone who looks so stoic 99% of the time can also babble like a 5 year old. But yes I would love to do something tomorrow. I don’t have to work until Monday so I’m free all weekend.”  
Altaïr clutched Malik’s wrist and kissed the palm of his hand, his eyes sparkling mischievously when he noticed Malik blushing at his actions.  
“Well, then I’ll definitely plan something wonderful for us to do.”  
He released Malik’s wrist and looked him over once more. Before Malik could comment he kissed him again and smirked.  
“I’ll text you in the morning and then we can plan for lunch and maybe go check out something downtown.”  
Malik blushed even harder and pushed Altaïr away from him and chuckled.  
“That sounds perfect. I’ll see you tomorrow then, jerk.”  
He turned around and walked inside. When he looked back he saw Altaïr walking away and it almost looked like he was dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. Okay. So I clearly haven't posted in a while. I started this chapter forever ago and for some reason could never finish. But alas, it is done. And this story will be finished or so help me...


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